President Dairy Science Park visits Punjab Meat Company Lahore

President Dairy Science Park, Engr Irfan ul Haq Qureshi visited Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company Lahore along with the Chief Patron DSP, Prof M Subhan Qureshi. Purpose of the visit was to get acquainted with the developments made in meat sector in Punjab and to push forward the meat development plans for KP, FATA and the adjoining regions of Afghanistan, Tajikistan and China, having similar cultural values and hit by poverty in spite of having huge livestock natural resource base.

The coalition government of Pakistan Tehrik I Insaf and Jamati Islami at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa supported the Dairy Science Park focused at self employment for the youth and hygienic/Halal food production for local consumption and export. The fund released on advice of the Senior Minister for establishing slaughter houses is still to be implemented. The approval of development project for support to Livestock SMEs under DSP and establishment of DSP Baord are still to be processed as per advice of the Senior Minister.

A Task Force, proposed by the Local Government Department KP was appreciated by the Additional Chief Secretary, through a summary, but considered as an intervention by the Secretary Agriculture. These activities have been suggested to develop infrastructure, replicate the business models, and develop common facilities centers and a Halal Research Center. Halal meat and other food products would be produced in the province and exported to Muslim and non-Muslim countries with Muslim populations. Halal food would be also made accessible for the non-Muslim consumers. A delay in implementation of the DSP Plan is resulting in a loss of Rs.500 million per day to the provincial economy.

The corporate partners of Dairy Science Park, Mr Hafeez ur Rahman and Mr Kamran Khan introduced calf fattening at Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Both of these farmers have been in dairy farming since last two decades and active partners of Sarhad Dairy Farmers Association and Dairy Science Park. Initially both of the farmers practiced dairy farming, however, the higher cost of inputs and a control price for the milk sold, is putting a tremendous financial pressure on the producers and reluctantly they quit the dairy production business.

The two farmers utilized their dairying experience, participated in scientific cum business dialogue of the Dairy Science Park, surveyed marketing status of the inputs and sale of the finished products and planned their fattening activities as separate models. One farm fed the animals with energy-protein rich concentrates (probably resulting in overfeeding of the nutrients), expensive medication and veterinary coverage provided by the feed company. The other farm provided simple wheat straw and a little green fodder, keeping the cost at the minimum, with almost zero medication and veterinary coverage. Astonishingly both of them resulted in similar growth rates and and each calf saved about Rs.8000 per calf within a period of three months. This provides an excellent model for entrepreneurship for the youth.

Small and large ruminants are required for slaughtering on the eve of Eid Al Adha in the Muslim community as a memorial of Hazrat Ibraheem, the father of prophets. The demand for such animals is increased on this occasion and the prices also go up. The Dairy Science Park realized the importance of this issue and opted for initiating model initiatives for calf fattening, to be sold on the eve of Eid Al Adha, 2016 falling during September.

Beyond such occasions, such type of calf fattening programs are facing marketing challenge, as these animals providing prime beef, have to compete with the beef coming from slaughtering the aged, sick and culled buffaloes and cows after completing their lactation. The district administration notifies flat prices, e.g. Rs.270 per kg beef, irrespective of the quality of animals, beef or preservation modes. Such a price capping discourages the young entrepreneurs producing quality beef at higher rates; and selling at higher prices.

DSP Slaughtering Point has been established in the suburbs of Peshawar as an entrepreneurship model. Quality standards have been introduced and the facility is providing meat to Pakistan Air Force. The same facility will be used for slaughtering sheep and goats and specially reared buffaloes/cattle calves for meat production.

Dairy Science Park Innovations has been established as a limited private sector company intending to improve the hygienic status and to bring innovations and automation at the livestock and poultry farms and to link the with cost-effective high quality inputs. The farming network is being linked with processing/marketing setup.

A meat processing factory is being established at Industrial Estate Hayatabad, Peshawar to process and pack meat from sheep, goats cattle and poultry of local breeds reared in the pastures of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. This will help in raising the income of the producers and provide safe food to the consumers, accommodating concerns of the biorisk management. This facility is being established as an entrepreneurship model to be replicated as a self employment tool for the youth and hygienic food production for the people of the region.